Plasma and CSF miRNA dysregulations in subarachnoid hemorrhage reveal clinical courses and underlying pathways.

Background: Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is fatal and detrimental to quality of life. Clinically, options for monitoring are often limited, potentially missing subtle neurological changes especially in low-grade patients. This article reviewed miRNA dysregulation in SAH and analyzed their functional and clinical relevance.

Robotics for Advanced Therapeutic Colonoscopy.

Although colonoscopy was originally a diagnostic imaging procedure, it has now expanded to include an increasing range of therapeutic interventions. These procedures require precise maneuvers of instruments, execution of force, efficient transmission of force from the operator to the point of application, and sufficient dexterity in the mobilization of endoscopic surgical instruments. The conventional endoscope is not designed to support technically demanding endoscopic procedures.

Training in endoscopic ultrasonography: An Asian perspective.

Training of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) in Asia faces two major challenges: (i) the ever-increasing demand for skills to handle a growing range of interventional EUS procedures; and (ii) a continual shortage of EUS training programs. As the therapeutic application of EUS continues to expand, the need to train more new endosonographers and upgrade skills of existing ones has become more critical than ever before. A formal fellowship to acquire EUS knowledge and skills in an advanced endoscopy center has always been perceived as the best way of training novices, but such opportunities remain limited in most Asian countries.

BOB CAT: A Large-Scale Review and Delphi Consensus for Management of Barrett's Esophagus With No Dysplasia, Indefinite for, or Low-Grade Dysplasia.

Objectives: Barrett's esophagus (BE) is a common premalignant lesion for which surveillance is recommended. This strategy is limited by considerable variations in clinical practice. We conducted an international, multidisciplinary, systematic search and evidence-based review of BE and provided consensus recommendations for clinical use in patients with nondysplastic, indefinite, and low-grade dysplasia (LGD).

Feasibility of full-thickness gastric resection using master and slave transluminal endoscopic robot and closure by Overstitch: a preclinical study.

Background: Gastric submucosal tumors are often treated by laparoscopic wedge resection. This study aimed to examine the feasibility of gastric full-thickness resection through a totally endoscopic approach using the master and slave transluminal endoscopic robot (MASTER), and closure of the luminal defect with an endoscopic suturing device.

Methods: The operation was performed in two live porcine models under general anesthesia.

Current status on the diagnosis and evaluation of pancreatic tumor in Asia with particular emphasis on the role of endoscopic ultrasound.

In Asia, the incidence of pancreatic cancer in some countries has been increasing. Owing to most cases being diagnosed late, prognosis for pancreatic cancer remains dismal. It is clear that the future for pancreatic cancer lies in early detection.

Factors determining diagnostic yield of endoscopic ultrasound guided fine-needle aspiration for pancreatic cystic lesions: a multicentre Asian study.

Background And Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine (1) the diagnostic yield for endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) in patients with pancreatic cystic lesions, (2) additional value of EUS-FNA over EUS alone in the diagnosis of pancreatic cysts, and (3) diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of EUS and EUS-FNA in the subset of patients where histopathology of surgical specimens were available.

Methods: All patients who underwent EUS examination for the evaluation of pancreatic cystic lesions in six Asian centres were included in the study.

Results: Of 298 patients with pancreatic cysts who underwent EUS, 132 (44.

Robot-assisted endoscopic submucosal dissection is effective in treating patients with early-stage gastric neoplasia.

Background & Aims: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a new technique for endoscopic resection of early-stage gastrointestinal cancers. Though ESD achieves high rate of en bloc resection, it is technically difficult to master. The development of a novel robotic endoscopic system that has 2 arms attached to an ordinary endoscope-Master and Slave Transluminal Endoscopic Robot (MASTER)-has improved the performance of complex endoluminal procedures.

Current status of Barrett's esophagus research in Asia.

In Western countries, the epidemiology of esophageal cancer has changed considerably over the past decades with a rise in the ratio of adenocarcinoma to squamous cell carcinoma. Although the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux is increasing in Asia, the prevalences of Barrett's esophagus (BE) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) have remained low in most Asian countries. The Asian Barrett's Consortium recently conducted a review of published studies on BE from Asia to assess the current status of BE research in Asia, and to recommend potential areas for future BE research in the region.